I am a grandmother paddling alone over 2,500 miles from Maine to Guatemala. Along the way I will be:
- telling the story of the children who live in the Guatemala City garbage dump community
- honoring their entrepreneurial mothers
- talking about the success of the Safe Passage model school and
- raising funds for additional grades for the school.

Friday, September 26, 2014

Brooklyn and Manhattan: OMMFG and Meeting Her Holiness

Janet Deb and Kate at the Floating Lanterns for Peace ceremony
Four days in Manhattan: speaking at REI and EMS with DeLorme, and then at the Sebago Canoe Club.
Sebago is a great club on Jamaica Bay, with a staggering collection of kayaks, canoes and surf skis, as well as fascinating stories about their experiences with Superstorm Sandy.  Nina organized my visit and spent hours with transportation - with grace!
Nina and Deb at Sebago Canoe Club
Just missed speaking with one of their members - Joe Glickman.  "Glicker" is a surf-ski racing wizard and author of "Fearless: One Woman, One Kayak, One Continent", the compelling book about Freya Hoffmeister's solo circumnavigation of Australia.  Check it out.  Nina gave me a new sticker for my kayak: OMMFG!  Since Joe is not on his ski as much while he battles cancer, kayakers all around the world are adding the sticker to their boats, sending Joe a photo, and pledging during every paddle to do One More Mile For Glicker.  That's going to be a lot of miles for me over the next ten months!!  On long days on the water I start dragging near the end.  But looking at the OMMFG sticker will speed me on.  Thanks, Joe, for being an inspiration with your grit, persistence and humor!


The last day in Manhattan was International Day of Peace and the largest ever demonstration for action on Climate Change.  In the evening my fantastic host, Janet West, took me as her guest to the Shinnyo Lantern Floating for Peace ceremony at Lincoln Center and the VIP reception for Her Holiness Shinso Ito that followed.
Her Holiness floating a lantern
Of course my lantern included the Safe Passage logo and message, as it's my favorite program for peace.



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